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Don’t mention the ‘c word’: the rhetorics of creativity in the Roberts ReportMark Readman, University of BournemouthMark Readman writes, ‘Creativity in education is almost universally acknowledged to be a positive, desirable thing. But even in the field of art, design and media there is considerable disagreement about what this ‘thing’ might be. … Despite this lack of coherence, we find ourselves using the term in accountable contexts – in programme and unit titles, learning outcomes and even assessment criteria. Consequently it is necessary to examine our usage and application of this slippery signifier.’

Oxford University’s Learning Institute has a regular public
seminar programme each term, which is open to anyone interested in aspects of
higher education. The seminars take place on Thursdays from 4pm to 5.30pm.

Student retention is set to receive even more scrutiny with
the introduction of significantly higher tuition fees, commencing in autumn
2012. This workshop will reflects the research and practitioner expertise of
almost a dozen of the University
of Brighton’s Business School faculty members who specialise in the complex
determinants of student retention rates. The workshop speakers and participants
will share examples of best practice and will also critically reflect upon the
types of interventions that did not significantly increase retention.

This event is being hosted as part of the Higher Education
Academy's Workshop and Seminar Series 2012.

The collaborative grant themes are internationalisation or
employability. A total of £570,000 will be available with a maximum of £60,000
per project. Project duration will be 18 months. Collaboration may be cross
institution and/or interdisciplinary. The project lead must be a Fellow of the
HE Academy. Successful bids will demonstrate longitudinal impact and
will include evaluation and dissemination criteria. Matching support should be
sought from the participating higher education institutions.

The survey is being conducted by Anna Gruszczynska on behalf
of SCORE (Support Centre for Open Resources in Education at Open University) as
part of a project exploring issues of accessibility in the context of Open
Educational Resources (OERs), where OERs are teaching and learning materials
available freely online at point of access for everyone to use, re-use, share
and repurpose. The survey seeks perspectives of educators who are involved with
using, creating and sharing educational content online, regardless of their
familiarity with OER initiatives.

Following the successful launch of the First Edition of the
Compendium of Effective Practice at the What Works Conference in York, March
2012; the editors are now asking for contributions for the 2nd Edition of the
Compendium. It is being edited by Robin Clark and Jane
Andrews, Aston University, and Liz Thomas, HEA. The Compendium will be peer reviewed by 2 of the Editorial Team. It will be given an ISBN
and will be widely disseminated across the Sector.

This one-day workshop is designed to help graduates who are
new to teaching in any Arts and Humanities subject and who have recently faced,
or will soon face, their first seminar, lecture or practical session.

Led by HE
staff from the Arts and Humanities disciplines, this workshop will be a
practical introduction to teaching techniques and an opportunity to reflect on
what your teaching role is. It will also be a chance to meet other new graduate
teachers, to ask difficult questions, and discover the help that the Higher
Education Academy offers to all postgraduates who teach.

A workshop for those new to the world of art librarianship, or those wishing to update their skills in art and design enquiry work. The day features presentations from leading art librarians, who will provide up-to-date information on the key print and electronic resources and strategies for effective research enquiry work.

There is a significant practical element to the day, allowing delegates to put into practice the skills and knowledge acquired on the day. There is also a behind-the-scenes tour of the Art Library at Leeds Central Library.http://arlis.org.uk/events.php?link=2

Thursday, 12 April 2012

This is the second
workshop in the Writing in Creative Practice series, which is run in
conjunction with Writing PAD and funded by the Higher Education Academy.

This
workshop looks at how the Writing in the Disciplines model of integrating
writing into subject specialist modules can be applied in the creative,
studio-based disciplines of Art and Design specifically. Issues looked at are a
number of models of teaching academic writing – from stand-alone to fully
integrated. We will also be exploring the idea of genre when introducing
written assignments, and Dr Fiona English, author of Student Writing and Genre,
will share her experiences in this field.

Conceived as a hands-on day with lots of activities and
discussion, this would work best if participants come in with a specific
module/course in mind into which they want to integrate writing further. Sarah
Williamson will introduce us to the making of individual artists’ books in
order to capture the impressions of individual participants in a creative and
visual way, and there will be the opportunity to discuss whether this way of putting
together information could be seen as a genre to be included into the
Studio-Based Curriculum. Pictures of works in progress will be submitted as a
photo essay to the Journal of Writing in Creative Practice.

The attendance of this workshop is free of charge to all
those interested in the workshop topic, with preference being given to staff
working in HE institutions and HE in FE colleges from across the UK. Places
will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Lunch and refreshments
will be provided, but travel expenses will not be covered. For more information
or to book a place, please get in touch with Dr Alke Gröppel-Wegener
(a.c.groppel-wegener@staffs.ac.uk).

AISHE-C 2012 is the eighth international conference of the
All Ireland Society for Higher Education; the overall theme of the conference
is Responding to Change: Effective Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. The
Keynote Speakers will be Tara Brabazon, University of Ontario Institute of
technology, Canada and David Baume, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. The conference showcases the best of
scholarship within the island of Ireland, and also warmly welcomes
international participants who can share wider experience and perspectives.

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

The Institute of Ideas Academy, organised by the Institute of Ideas, is a three day residential
retreat, in which the organisers aim to get away from the overly prescriptive
nature of debate in society at large, and be unashamedly esoteric and
intellectual for a weekend, in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. This
year, there are three parallel lecture series on Classics, Literature and
History as well as a plenary series on Free will and Determinism. The Academy Scholars will also have three additional lectures organised
for them on Liberty, the role of The Public Intellectual, and the Western Canon
on Friday, 20 July, prior to the main programme which will begin on the morning
of Saturday, 21 July.

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply to the
Scholarship Programme, they will be joining Institute of Ideas members from
every possible walk of life; from professors and academics, to other students, barristers, film makers and writers. The one thing that they all share is a
passion for knowledge.

The full price may be a challenge for students, so this year
the organisers have launched a new Academy Scholarship Programme for students between the
ages of 18-26. The scholarship programme offers a limited number of students
the chance to attend for the heavily subsidised price of £60 for three nights’
accommodation and full board.

To apply for an Academy Scholarship, students must submit a
500-word (max) essay on the question: “What is the value of the humanities
today?” and also a 300-word (max) motivation on why [you] in particular deserve to attend The Academy.For more information about the Scholarship programme

The Biographical Narrative in Popular Culture, Media and Communication

Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2012 Deadline for completed articles: 1 September 2012In the past decade biographical narratives – personalised
histories of the recent and distant past –have taken on an increasingly central
role in contemporary culture. The longstanding film and television genre of the
‘Biopic’ has become more commercially and critically successful than ever
before. For example, in 2010 Biopic The Kings Speech won the Best Picturing
and Director ‘Oscars’ and, as a testament to the genres acting prestige, three
of the four acting Academy awards were also awarded for performances in The
Kings Speech and sports Biopic, The Fighter.

Television schedules have also begun to be dominated by
documentaries and ‘reality TV’ programming documenting the lives of celebrities
and ‘ordinary people’ and American cable network HBO continues to produce
prestigious mini-series based on biographical narratives, such as The
Pacific (2010) and John Adams (2008). Meanwhile, the growth of social media
forums and blogging applications has made it easier for individuals to create
their own personal biographies online.

Abstracts (500 words max) for papers of between 6,000 and
8,000 words, which consider the place of the biographical narrative in popular
culture, media or communication are invited from postgraduate students and
early career researchers across the humanities and social sciences.
Accepted papers will be published in a special issue of Networking Knowledge:
Journal of the MeCCSA-PGN. Possible topics might include, but are not
limited to:

• The genre of the biopic in film and
television fictions

• Biographical narratives in the
creation of and star and celebrity personas

• Biographical narratives and issues of
gender, ethnicity and sexuality

• Biographical narratives as created
through social media

• Biographies as created in ‘reality’
and documentary television

• The presentation of biographical
profiles in journalistic publications